Leaf turner



Oct. 2, 1928.

G. SCHOENFELD LEAF TURNER filed Nov. 5, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 514,120 :1 fut- IZ EEhEIETLfEIEI Oct. 2, 1928. 1,686,422

a. SCHOENFELD LEAF TURNER Filed Nov. 5, 1927 3 Sfiets-Sheet 3 Fa 55 uhnenfe 24 Ifly, GMWQI in to turn the leaves;

' Patented Oct. 2,' 192 8.

PAT T orrlcs.

GUSTAV scHoE rELn. 014+ GREAT FALLS, MONTANA.

LEAF" TURNER.

"A p pli cationnledNovember 5, 1921'. Serial no. 231,240.

Thisinvention isa device for turning the leaves of music'whereby a performer will not be interrupted by the'necessity of turning leaves successively byha'nd. The objectof 5 the invention is to provide a mechanism which will operate withcce'rtainty to suecessivelyturn the leavesa's a composition is played and relieve the performerof the necessity of interrupting the performance in order The invention provides simpleland compact mechanism whereby a light tap of the performers footwill suc- V cessively' turn the leaves "fromrightcto left andwill hold them positively in position to permit reading of the music. The invention also provides-means whereby a book containa ing a composition which is to be performed maybe firmly supportedin an upright position. f .1 The invention is illustrated in the accom- ]')anying drawings and-will I be hereinafter fully set-forth. Inthe drawings: Y

Fig.1i is 'afront elevation of a leaf turner constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig.2 is a'plan view of the operating mechanisrn'. 1 j. I. I y

- Figi t; is a sectional elevation showingthe working elements. i i i I Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse section showing the arrangement of the latches whereby the leaf-turning arms are held in ,theiriniti a1 positions.

Fig. 5 's an enlarged detail sectionfshow ing the manner [of mounting the turning a ms-J V FigsQG and 7 are, respectively, a front and rear, elevation of thefeeding plate whereby the'turning' arms are successively released.

In carrying out my invention, thereis provided a base member comprising a bottom plate 1 and a back plate 2..whereby a sub-' stantially box like base is produced adapted to rest upon the'desk ofa piano or upon the ledge'ofa musicstand. To'protect thewoi'k; ing parts of the device from injury by chance blows; 'a casing 3 is'providedto extend over thetop of the base member and across the same infrontof the working parts, the posiindicated bythe dotted line 4 inFig. 2. In the top of the casing 3 and in the back wall 2 of thebox, openings or recesses,indioated at 5, are provided to receive :pins 6 which rise from thebase member'to a sufficient heighttoaQCommQdate abound book and prevent collapse of the $51 6 tion of'the front edge of this casing being support the same in upright position. It will be understood upon reference to Fig. 1,

"that the pins or rods 6 are arranged twoadl cent the front of the device and two ad= ac'ent the back of the sa1ne, and that the sides ofthe'book are placed between these upright pins or rods in openedposition, the leaves or pages containing the composition which" is to be performed being disposed in front of the front'pins or rods. To aid in holdingthe book in its open position and a retaining device consisting of a plate 7 and a spring fingerS securedupon the front side thereof, is fitted in a recess provided therefor in the back plate 2 at the center of the same the back of the book being received between the plate and the, finger in an obvious manner;

A similar plate 9 having a spring finger 10 is carried by a rod 11 slidably fitted upon the rear rods 6-to engage the upper end of the back of the book so that the book will be firmly supported in such a position that the notesinay be easily read.

Adjacent the front of the base plate, and at the center of the same, a circular post 12 is secured; and loosely fitted around the post aresuperposed hubs or collars 13 to each of which is attached ,a leaf-turning arm 14, the

arm extending radially from the hub member and being constructed of resilient metal and terminating in a. spring coil 15 having at least'two turns whereby it may be engaged with. the lower edge of a sheetof music to cause the sheet or leafto follow the 'movement of the arm. Within each hub or'collar is a volutc spring- 16 having one end'attached to the post 12 andits opposite end attached to the hub orcollaiy the arrange ment being-such that when the leaf-turning arm is disposed atthe right hand side of the device, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the: spring 1 will be placed under tension and upon the aim being released it .will be at once swung to theleft haudside of the device under theintluence of the spring. To retain the several leaf-turning armsat the right hand side'of the device so that theseveral sheets or leaves of the music will be in their initial positions, I provide a plurality of latches 17, each of which is adapted to engage one of the turning arms. These latches are disposed in a vertical series at one side of the post 12 and the hubs'mounted thereonand arepivotally mounted, asat 18, Within a bracl a or housing 19 which is secured upon the base plate 1. The front ends of the several latciics are bev=lcd upwardly and rearwardly, as shown at 20, whereby a turning arm, engaging the end of the latch, will be guid d upwardly to rest on the arm and niav drop into a notch 21 fori'ned in the uppe side of the latch adjacent the front end o"- the sun The rear ends of the latches pass through slots in a trip plate 22 which is slidably supported upon the base of the device and upon the bacl; of this trip plate are a plu'ality of light spring fingers or rods 23, each of which projects over and bea s upon the rear end of one of the latches, as will beunderstood upon reference to Fig.

l-. ll1e rear ends of the latches will thus be held normally depressed so that the fr it ends thereof will engage the leaf-turning arms and hold the same against i'uovcment. The severalslots 2st in the trip plate are disposed one vertically over another so that they will respectively receive the rear ends of the latches and each slot has an oifset portion 25 which is adapted to be brought iinst the rear end of the respective latch in the operation of the device, so as to rocl; the latch and release the turning arm can gaged thereby. By referring to Figures (3 and 7, it will be noted that the offsets of the several slots are arranged at different distances from the ends thereof and follow approximately an obliquely disposed line extending from the left hand end of the lowslot to the right hand end of the upperma slot, the result being thatthe offsets will engage the respective latches successiveso that they will be released one at a time and the proper turning of the leaves thereby assured. The trip plate 22 is supported on edge by a guide bracket 26 rising from the bottom of the base member of the device and also by a finger 27 projecting re rwardly from the bracket 19 and playing in a horizontal slot 28 formed in the trip plate adjacent the lower edge of the same.

To actuate the trip plat-e there is provided a resilient dog or pull rod 29 having a laterally disposed terminal 30 adapted to succes sivcly engage the ratchet teeth or notches 31 formed in the upper edge of the trip pla'c. llhis resilient pull rod is secured to a cross head 32 slidably mount-ed ithin the compartment forming the base of the device and from the said head a guide arui extends in the opposite direction from the pull rod to pass through a bracket 3% so as to hold the head to a rectilinear path. The guide rod 33 passes entirely through the guide bracket 3i and at the left hand side of the same carries an abutment plate 35 which is spaced from the guide bracket, a springplate 36 being fitted around and engaged wilh the abutment plate and the adjacent wall of the bracket 34-. so as to hold the abutment plate the cross head 32 1,ese,422

norniallx toward the bracket. Disposed between the abutment plate and bracket 1s a flexible bulb 37 winch is shown in the drawis l i ci rl vl 1]. fl tri in at c0 LJPMCCQ uw ncn, w 1011 in .a ea,

\ ii obviously cause the abutment plate 35 to move away from the guide bracket 3% inst the tension of the returning spring Upon collapse of the bull) 3?, the cross head 32 and the pull rod 2.) will return to their initial pcn'sitions under the influence of said spring. it will thus be seen thata rcciproeatory inovcnient imparted to the pull rod so that it will alternately engage one o t the ratchet teeth on the upper edge of the "rip plateand pull the said plate to the left and then return, riding over the plate to engage a succeeding tooth. The trip plate will thus be actuated step by step so as to succe leaf-turning arms. To inflate the bulb 87, I have illustrated a suction bulb 38 which may be disposed adjacent the pedals of a piano or at the foot of a music stand so that it may le easily reached by the foot of the performer and this bulb is connected with the inflation bulb 37 by means of a flexible pipe 33$ arranged in any convenient or preferred manner. l r hen the bulb 38 is den d by pressure of the perform-ens foot,

vely trip the latches and release the tech-ed to the bracket 4-1 and an adjacent por tion of the frame so as to hold the frame normally retracted from the trip plate. A rock shaft 4-4: is ournaled in a suitable bearing up on the base of the device andis provided at its inner end with a crank 45 disposed between and the end of the frame 40 and adapted to bear against the frame, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The outer end of this rock shaft 4A; is equipped with a lever or handle member l6. To set the device in initial position, the lever or handle 46, is swung upwardly and over toward the right so that the crank -15 will be correspondingly moved and this movement of the crank will force the frame toward the right so that its terminal will impinge against the adjacentcnd edge of the trip plate and slide the same to the right, it being noted that the pull rod 29 has a depressed. ollset portion which extends into the path of the terminal 4-2 of the pusher frame so that just before the frame engages the trip plate it will lift the pull rod out of engagement with the plate and the plate will thus be free to "sl ideto its initial position. when the plate has been thus moved toits rop'er initial'posr 'tion, the lever 46 is release and the parts will then return to the'position shown inFig. 3 underthe influence of the spring 43. -It will be not'edat this point that the crank 45 bears against the cross head 3Z1and it is, therefore possible to operate the device to turn the leaves by rocking the shaft 44 in a direction to mov'ethe crank 45 toward the bracket .34,

[consequently impartingto the cross head the same movement that was-imparted thereto by the inflation'of the bulb 37 previously described. It'may sometimes be preferred to so proportion the parts that the crank or'lever j iandle 46 will be disposedout-side of thebase member of the apparatus and have attached thereto afinger piece to facilitate its" engagement by the left hand of the performer,

or afoot pedal may be connected with the member 46 infa wellunderstoodmanner;

" After the trip plate has beenset in its initial an ascending series.

position, illustrated in full lines in Fig. 3,

- the leaf-turning arms are swung around to the right, thereby putting the springs 16under tension and causing theseveral armsto ride onto and be engaged byfhe several latches, as indicated iuFig. 4; I hen the trip plate, re-

' ceives itsifi'rst movement under the influence of thepull rod 29, it will be moved a distance equal to the distance between any two successive ratchet teeth-"31 and this movement will cause the offset in the lowest Slot/Q4 to ride against the rear endof the lowest latch 17 thereby rockingthe' rear end ofthe latch upwardly and causing the front end thereof to releasethe 1 lowest turning arm, which will thereupon at once swing over to I the left; In likemanner, the several leafturning arms will'be successively released in Itis' to be understood that the accompanying drawings are illustrative only andI do not restrict myself to the exact details shown therein. For instance, instead ofthe bulb 37,

I may employ a cylinderin' which the abutrplurality of leaf-turning arms, means for mcut plate 35' will act as a piston to "receive the pressure directed through the pipe39.

From the foregoing description, taken'in connection withthe accompanying drawings, it will be seen that I haveprovided an exceedingly simple, compact, easily operated, and

eflicient devicewhereby the leaves ofa'piece of music may be successively turned as the composition is played without requiring the player to interrupt his performance forturning the leaves. I V

I Having thus described theinvention, what I claim is: i a Y 1. A leafturning mechanism comprising a swinging the arms from right to left, a'plurality oflatches arranged to each engage one ofthe arms and hold it in initial'position, a horizontally slidable trip plate provided with :a series of horizontal slots arranged verticallyonefa'bov'e another andeach receiving the rear end of'one of the latches, the slots being providedwi'th offset portions in stepped relation to successivelyengage the respective latches whereby to release them from the turning arms, and means for impartingja step by step movement to the trip plate.

I 2. A leaf turning mechanism comprising a plurality of leaf-turning arms, a plurahty of latches each engaging one of thearms tndTer slidable trip plateiengaging the latches and arranged to release them successively from 'therespect ve arms, a pull rod arranged to alternately engage and ride on the trip plate, "and mcansforactuating said pull rod whereby to impart step by step movement tothe trip plate.

' 3 A leaf turningmechanism-comprising a :pluralityof leaf-turning arms, means for swinging the arms from right to left, a plurality of latches arranged each to engage one of thearms, a horizontally slidable trip plate engaging the rearends of the latches and'const ructed tosuccessively releasethem from the respective turning arms,"a-plural-ity ofra-tchet teeth on a horizontaledge of thetrip plate, a resilientpull rod adapted to successively engage said ratchet teeth, and means for relciprocatin'gsaid pull rod whereby to impart a stepby step movement to the trip plate.

' 4. A leaf turning mechanism comprising a plurality of leaf turning arms, means for swinging the armsfron right to left, a plurality of'latches arranged each to engage one of the arms, a trip plate engaging the rear taming it in initial-position, a horizontally ends of the latches and constructed-to successively release them from the respective turning arms,a plurality of ratchetteeth on an edge of the trip plate, a resilient pull rod adapted to successively engage said ratchet teeth, means for reciprocating said pull rod whereby to impart a step by step movement to the trip plate, and meansfor simultaneously releasing the pull rod, from the trip plate and returning the trip plate to initial position.

same in initial position, means for actuating.

the pusher, means for withdrawing the pusher from the trip plate, a resilient pull rod engaging the trip plate and having an offset portion extending into the path ofthe, pusher whereby the pull rod will be released from the trip plate whenthe pusher is actuated, and means for reciprocating the pull'rod whereby to impart step by step releasing movement to the trip plate.

6. A leaf turning mechanism comprising a plurality of leaf turning arms, a plurality of latches arranged to engage the respective arms, a trip plate engaging the latches and constructed to successively release them from the respective turning arms, a pull rod arranged to engage the trip plate, across head carrying said pull rod, a guide arm extending from the cross head, a bracket supporting and guiding said arm, an abutment on the guide arm in spaced relation to the bracket, an inflatable bulb disposed between and bearing against the guide bracket and the said abutment, yieldable means for holding the abutment toward the bracket, and means for inflating the bulb and thereby moving the abutment in opposition to said yieldablemeans whereby to reciprocate the pull rod and impart step by step movement to the trip plate.

7. A leaf-turning mechanism comprising a plurality of turning arms, means -for swinging the arms from right to lett, a plurality of latches each holding one of the arms in initial position, a slidabl'y mounted trip plate engaging all the latches .and constructed to successively release themirom the respective arms when moved in one direction, a pusher arranged to engage the trip plate and set the same in initial position, yieldable means r'or holding the pusher out of engagement with the trip plate, means for positively actuating the pusher, a pull rod arranged to alternately plurality of turning arms, means for swingng the arms from right to left, a plurahty of latches each holding one of the arms in initial position, a slidably mounted trip plate engaging all the latches and constructed to suc- 'ess1vely release them from the respective arms when moved in one direction, a pusher arranged to engage the trip plate and set the ,ame' in initial position, yieldable means for holding the pusher out of engagement with the trip plate, a rock shaft disposed in angu lar relation to the pusher, a crank at the inner end of the rock shaft bearing against the end of the pusher to actuate the pusher for setting the trip plate, a pull rod arranged to alternately engage and ride over the trip plate, and means for actuating the pull rod toimpart stepby step movement to the trip plate, the pull rod having an offset in the path 01' the pusher whereby when the pusher is actuated to set the push plate the pull rod will be released from the trip plate.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

eus rnv SGHOENFELD. my 

